


What if it happens again?

by Space_Hawk



Series: Inktober 2020 [9]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Fire Nation raids, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hakoda teaches Sokka how to throw a boomerang, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Parental Hakoda (Avatar), little bit of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Hawk/pseuds/Space_Hawk
Summary: “I miss Mom,” Sokka said softly, curling in on himself more tightly. Hakoda sighed. He missed her too.“I know," he said, pulling his son onto his lap and held him close. “We all do.”Or, Hakoda comforts Sokka after the Fire Nation raid by giving him his boomerang.Inktober Day 9: Throw
Relationships: Hakoda & Katara (Avatar), Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Series: Inktober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950592
Kudos: 34





	What if it happens again?

It was the middle of the night, but something woke Hakoda suddenly. Body tensed and mind alert, he reached towards the sword laying besides his bed, eyes scanning the room. It wasn’t until he confirmed that there weren’t any Fire Nation soldiers that he allowed himself to breathe again.

It had only been a week since they came - metal ships, burning fire, and black snow - and taken away one of the most important things in his life; his sweet Kya. He failed to protect her that day and ever since, he feared they would return to take the rest of his family. But this time, he would be ready. He wouldn’t let them take Sokka and Katara from him too.

A small sniffle shook Hakoda out of his thoughts. He glanced around the room, eyes landing on a small figure huddled in the corner. 

Careful not to wake Katara, who was curled up next to him, Hakoda pulled himself out of bed and kneeled gently before the figure.

“Sokka? Are you okay?” The small boy shook his head, tear tracks evident on his checks. 

“I miss Mom,” he said softly, curling in on himself more tightly. Hakoda sighed. He missed her too.

“I know.” Hakoda pulled his son onto his lap and held him close. “We all do.” They were both quiet for a moment before Sokka spoke, so quiet that Hakoda almost missed it.

“I should have done more.” 

Those five words broke Hakoda’s heart. 

His son was young. Too young, to have been touched by the horrors of war. Both of his children were. And for him to feel responsible for her death?

Hakoda had seen Sokka from the battlefield that day, closer to the fighting than he would’ve liked. He was fiercely protective with a warrior’s heart, but he was still so young. 

“There was nothing more you could have done,” Hakoda said firmly, hugging his son even tighter. That burden of failure was Hakoda’s to bear and his alone. “You fought bravely and did everything you could. But the Fire Nation only causes pain.” A hint of anger entered Hakoda’s voice as he tried to provide reassurance.

“What if they come back?”   
“Then we’ll be ready,” Hakoda vowed. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you or Katara. I’ll protect you.”

No one knew why the Fire Nation had begun their raids again. It had been decades since the last one and they had taken all the waterbenders at the time. Katara was the only waterbender left, but no one outside the village knew about her. But it didn’t matter. If the raids were starting again, Hakoda would be ready. 

“But what if you’re not there? What if I can’t protect her?” The fear was evident in Sokka’s voice, borderlining on panic, and Hakoda knew he was thinking of his sister.

Again, his heart broke. A child should not be worried about such things, as yet here they were. The war having already stolen Sokka’s carefree, childhood innocence away from him.

Hakoda honestly didn’t know how to respond to such a fear. Especially when he felt similarly. That he wouldn’t be able to protect his family - at least what’s left of it, if they came back. Of what would happen if he wasn’t there.

So he simply held his son close, letting his warmth reassure him as much as his was reassuring Sokka. 

Until an idea popped into his head. 

“Come with me,” Hakoda said, taking his son’s hand as he got up. 

Together they ventured into cold outdoor air. The village was quiet in the dark, but the crescent moon shone bright, reflecting off the snow to provide just enough light for them to see by.

“Here. I want you to have this,” Hakoda said as he presented his trusty boomerang to Sokka. “It’s a little worn, but it’s never failed me.” 

Sokka carefully took the weapon and gave it an experimental throw. It came right back to him and he caught it with a smile. 

For the next hour, Hakoda taught Sokka how to properly throw the boomerang, talking about angles, line of sight, and anything else that his son might find useful. 

Sokka caught on quickly and by the end, he had a pretty good grasp of how it worked. They both slept a lot better after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like I'm back to writing emotionally angsty fics after a couple days of fluff lol
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and as always, kudos and comments are appreciated :)


End file.
